The effect that the photo shooting process had on the Khivans was described by one of the mission participants: “At first, when we arrived here, they looked at the camera with almost horror, and at the photographer himself, in particular, when he was installing the tool, with his head covered with black oilcloth, they looked at a pure wizard; later, seeing no harm for themselves and receiving their images almost instantly, the Khivans not only got used to the camera but even asked for their portraits. The first example in this regard was the event with the divan-baba, although at first he took the plate for the barrel of a gun and was afraid of a shot from it; the darga followed him, letting him take his portrait not without fear, and finally, one day, the Khan sent several boys from his harem [his sons – T. E.] and his beloved dog to take portraits that immediately appeared on paper.”
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album “Uzbekistan in historic photographs of the 19th - early 20th centuries in the collections of Russian archives” (Volume XXXVII) in the series “Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan”.
The general sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
